History Main / MagicIsMental

* In ''The Imager Portfolio'' by L. E. Modesitt, Imagers use their 'magic' completely with their minds, by seeing/imagining them in their heads, but they have to have a complete mental picture and understanding of it's elemental and chemical make up or they can do things like blow themselves up by mixing chemicals which react explosively with each other. They also can image in their sleep as they dream, so they have to sleep in protected, lead shielded rooms, alone, even if they are married (or they could accidentally kill their spouses).

* In the ''Franchise/{{Ultima}}'' games, one's spellcasting depends on either intelligence or wisdom.

* In ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'', espers rely on extremely complex mental equations to use their abilities, and as a result they possess SuperIntelligence as a RequiredSecondarySuperpower. Accelerator, the [[WorldsStrongestMan world's strongest esper]], has a brain superior to the world's fastest supercomputers [[spoiler:and becomes significantly weaker after suffering brain damage]]. It's even possible for certain espers to boost their powers by [[PsychicLink linking their minds together]] to spread out the work.

* This is how (human) magic works in ''RiversOfLondon'' books. You have to learn the mental forms in order to do magic, and practice visualising the concepts or it doesn't work. To make things harder, thanks to IsaacNewton, all the names of the forms are in Latin. And the forms have to stack in order to work. To throw a fireball, you have to learn how to visualise the fire, then how to visualise it moving, then have to visualise how to make it track a target... And after that your brain trickles out your ears (if you've done it wrong).

** [[Tabletop/Pathfinder Pathfinder]] averts this for the Scarred Witch Doctor (a Witch archetype exclusive to [[DumbMuscle Orcs]]) and the [[FullContactMagic Kineticist]] (a occult [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Bender]]), both of which use [[MadeOfIron Constitution]] as casting stat, with the Kineticist also using Dexterity for secondary effects.

* In most ''SavageWorlds'' setting, magic is related to the spirit attribute. If not, it's smarts. But always one of those two.

* Deliberately and consistently averted in the WorldOfDarkness. In both TabletopGame/MageTheAscension and the later TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening, both a character's raw magical power and their capability with different sorts of magic were based on traits (Arete and Gnosis, respectively, for power and Spheres or Arcana for ability) completely separate from the mundane ones (including intelligence and the like). That means that mechanically speaking, nothing is preventing you from making a wizard who's anything from a borderline mental retard to a world-class genius - and nothing is preventing the former from being a far greater wizard than the later. Rotes (highly specific magical effects with a higher chance of working, as opposed to the more commonly used "improvised" magic) are always based on a mundane skill and attribute in addition to a magical one, but those could just as easily be Stamina and Streetwise as Intelligence and Science.
** Played straight in the fanmade GeniusTheTransgression, though: while the raw power of your Mad Science and your various capabilities within the field are determined by independent traits (Inspiration and Axioms), the actual process of creating Wonders always depends upon a mental attribute (intelligence if you're working methodically in a lab, wits if you're kitbashing on the spot), so a stupid Mad Scientist wouldn't last long. To prevent this, each Mad Scientist actually gets a bonus to either attribute during character creation - making sure that there wouldn't ''be'', by default, any stupid ones, that they'd be smarter than the average person on average, and that they would be far more likely to be literal geniuses rather than just Mad ones.

* In ''OgreBattle'', Intelligence determines a magic attack's damage.

** [[Tabletop/Pathfinder Pathfinder]] averts this for the Scarred Witch Doctor (a Witch archetype exclusive to [[DumbMuscle Orcs]]) and the [[FullContactMagic Kineticist]] (a occult [[AvatarTheLastAirbender Bender]]), both of which use [[MadeOfIron Constitution]] as casting stat, with the Kineticist also using Dexterity for secondary effects.

* Comic book characters using magic (especially the wizard kind) often are intellectuals. Notably, DCComics' ComicBook/DoctorFate and Marvel's Comicbook/DoctorStrange are two spellcasters with the title of "Doctor", which itself implies a level of education (e.g. Doctor Strange was a [[NotThatKindOfDoctor neurosurgeon]] and his successor, Doctor Voodoo, was a psychologist).

* In the ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'', magic requires an understanding of [[FormulaicMagic advanced mathematics]] to use. Part of the reason Fate and Nanoha are so talented at magic is because they're both [[GoodWithNumbers math prodigies]].

* In ''{{GURPS}}'', "Magery" (the advantage that allows you to be a mage) is a mental advantage, which means that it stems from your mind rather than from your body (so it stays with you if you [[FreakyFriday switch bodies with someone]], etc.)

* Averted in ''FengShui'', which has a separate Magic stat that has no connection to the mental statistics.

* This is how (human) magic works in ''Literature/RiversOfLondon'' books. You have to learn the mental forms in order to do magic, and practice visualising the concepts or it doesn't work. To make things harder, thanks to IsaacNewton, all the names of the forms are in Latin. And the forms have to stack in order to work. To throw a fireball, you have to learn how to visualise the fire, then how to visualise it moving, then have to visualise how to make it track a target... And after that your brain trickles out your ears (if you've done it wrong).

* This is how (human) magic works in ''RiversOfLondon'' books. You have to learn the mental forms in order to do magic, and practice visualising the concepts or it doesn't work. To make things harder, thanks to IsaacNewton, all the names of the forms are in Latin. And the forms have to stack in order to work. To throw a fireball, you have to learn how to visualise the fire, then how to visualise it moving, then have to visualise how to make it track a target... And after that your brain trickles out your ears (if you've done it wrong).

* In ''Franchise/StarWars'', the Force (a SciFiCounterpart of magic, essentially) operates this way. Thus Jedi utilize various meditation techniques to calm themselves and clear their minds for the better use of their Force ability. The body is irrelevant-Yoda, a diminutive being, is one of the most powerful Force users we see. If the Force user does not believe they can do something (as shown in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve it doesn't work]]. Mental states like emotions thus have a huge effect in not only focusing their Force ability but also shaping the user. Negative emotions like anger, fear and hate will affect them negatively too. Indeed they're actively addictive and corrupting.

* In ''Franchise/StarWars'', the Force (a SciFiCounterpart of magic, essentially) operates this way. Thus Jedi utilize various meditation techniques to calm themselves and clear their minds for the better use of their Force ability. The body is irrelevant-Yoda, a diminutive being, is one of the most powerful Jedi shown. If the Force user does not believe they can do something (as shown in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve it doesn't work]]. Mental states like emotions thus have a huge effect in not only focusing their Force ability but also shaping the user. Negative emotions like anger, fear and hate will affect them negatively too. Indeed they're actively addictive and corrupting.

* In ''Franchise/StarWars, the Force (a SciFiCounterpart of magic, essentially) operates this way. Thus Jedi utilize various meditation techniques to calm themselves and clear their minds for the better use of their Force ability. The body is irrelevant-Yoda, a diminutive being, is one of the most powerful Jedi shown. If the Force user does not believe they can do something (as shown in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve it doesn't work]]. Mental states like emotions thus have a huge effect in not only focusing their Force ability but also shaping the user. Negative emotions like anger, fear and hate will affect them negatively too. Indeed they're actively addictive and corrupting.

* In ''Franchise/StarWars, the Force (a SciFiCounterpart of magic, essentially) operates this way. Jedi utilize various meditation techniques to calm themselves and clear their minds for the better use of their Force ability. The body is irrelevant-Yoda, a diminutive being, is one of the most powerful Jedi shown. Mental states like emotions thus have a huge effect in not only focusing their Force ability but also shaping the user. Negative emotions like anger, fear and hate affect them negatively too. Indeed they're actively addictive and corrupting.

A trope that is nearly omnipresent when magic is involved: Magic is a product of the mind, not the body. Magic requires study and concentration to use. The best mages are smart, wise, perceptive and are all around great minds. It's even in the word "Wizard", which used to mean "Philosopher" and came from the word "Wise". The word magic itself descends from ''magos'', meaning "one of the members of the learned and priestly class". It's not accidental wordplay that forces you to learn basic spelling before you can study spellcasting.

* Comic book characters using magic (especially the wizard kind) often are intellectuals. Notably, DCComics' DoctorFate and Marvel's Comicbook/DoctorStrange are two spellcasters with the title of "Doctor", which itself implies a level of education (e.g. Doctor Strange was a [[NotThatKindOfDoctor neurosurgeon]] and his successor, Doctor Voodoo, was a psychologist).

* In ''{{Necroscope}}'', in order to gain the power to time travel and teleport, Harry Keogh, and his heirs, has first to be able to calculate the {{infinite}} length of a Moebius strip in finite terms. When he is [[BroughtDownToNormal stripped of his ability to do math]], he loses that ability. He has other innate abilities, and most psi users' abilities are inborn, but this one has to be learned and expressed mathematically.

A trope that is nearly omnipresent when magic is involved: Magic is a product of the mind, not the body. Magic requires study and concentration to use. The best mages are smart, wise, perceptive and are all around great minds. It's even in the word "Wizard" which used to mean "Philosopher" and came from the word "Wise". The word magic itself descends from ''magos'' "one of the members of the learned and priestly class". It's not accidental wordplay that forces you to learn basic spelling before you can study spellcasting.

Note even in some works where [[TitleDrop magic IS mental]], there is "backlash", which damages the mage's body. At a low level it, causes exhaustion, at a high level, it causes death.

Related to EnlightenmentSuperpowers. PsychicPowers may be the modern equivalent. See also RitualMagic which may involve a lot of memorization and concentration. Not to be confused with (but might coexist with) PowerBornOfMadness. Compare EmotionalPowers.

* In ''{{Necroscope}}'' in order to gain the power to time travel and teleport Harry Keogh, and his heirs, has first to be able to calculate the {{infinite}} length of a Moebius strip in finite terms. When he is [[BroughtDownToNormal stripped of his ability to do math]] he loses that ability. He has other innate abilities, and most psi users abilities are inborn, but this one has to be learned and expressed mathematically.

* Very much in effect with sorcery, the primary magic-system in ''Literature/{{Belgariad}}'', which is also called "the Will and the Word" for a reason- the sorcerer needs to ''will'' something to happen, then use a spoken ''word'' (what word isn't important, as long as the sorcerer can see some connection between it and the effect they want) to actually make it happen. Of course, if you try to do something too far removed from reality, expect the natural forces involved to slap you down rather painfully.

* Apart from deep study about the occultist subjects, in the works of ''Creator/HPLovecraft'', "magic" is heavily linked to the mind -and brain- and depends on things as intelligence, knowledge and will power. For example, the highly intelligent [[Literature/TheCaseOfCharlesDexterWard Charles Dexter Ward]] made an intense research about summoning the dead, and although his mental abilities were more than enough to achieve his goal, his very young and susceptible mind backfired him as he was swapped by his much more powerful [[IdenticalGrandson identical great-great-grandparent]]. Also in one story it is made clear that male witches are stronger than female ones because [[ValuesDissonance their brains are just more complex.]]

* In ''Literature/TheBartimaeusTrilogy'' almost all magic involves harnessing spirits, all varieties of which require different methods to summon, contain, and control, and information about which is recorded in books in numerous dead languages (partially because the information is old, partially to stop commoners from learning about it). As such being a magician involves fluency in multiple languages, memorizing an exhaustive list of symbols and being able to reproduce them perfectly and with correct placement, as well as remembering huge amounts of trivia as to the idiosyncrasies of various subspecies. Children are given an extensive intelligence test to determine whether they have the capacity to become a magician.

* Most depictions of ''{{Merlin}}'' fit this. He's a wise adviser, and a powerful wizard.

Note even in some works were [[TitleDrop magic IS mental]], there is "backlash", which damages the mage's body. At a low level it, causes exhaustion, at a high level, it causes death.

* In the ''{{Lufia}}'' games, Intelligence determines spellcasting power.
* Games based on or inspired by ''DungeonsAndDragons'' do this:
** ''BaldursGate I and II'' and ''BaldursGateDarkAlliance''
** The ''NeverwinterNights'' games